Cayenne

Cold weather is good for getting words on paper, although our worst weather would just be normal in Ohio. Delbert may have some bad luck soon, but I’m not going to post that part of the story.

I got the cayenne pepper in coffee idea from fellow writer Ottis, and tried it myself this morning. I was up at o-dark-thirty to visit a friend in the hospital; the pepper gives little electric-like jolts to the back of your mouth. Jami had left her Miracle Grow beside my Truvia (both green packaging) and in the darkness I might have used one instead of the other. If I have a growth spurt soon, that’s why.

Up on Scobee Mountain, Raquel came into the kitchen. She was wearing the white terry cloth bath robe, but her hair was wet from a hot shower.

King looked up from his laptop.

“That omelet still an option?”

“It’s in the fridge. I’ll put it in the microwave. More coffee?”

Raquel sat down at the table. “That would be nice.”

“You feeling better?”

“Yeah. Not going to get much done today. Don’t know what came over me. It’s your fault, anyway.”

“How is it my fault that you drank all my scotch and have a hangover?”

Raquel put her head on the table. “I’m a plaintiff’s attorney. It’s always someone else’s fault.”

King set a cup of coffee in front of her, and placed a shaker of cayenne pepper beside the cup. “I didn’t know if you wanted the red pepper in your coffee this morning.”

Raquel picked up the plastic shaker and put some of the ground cayenne pepper in the coffee. “Might as well. Could only help.” She took a sip of the coffee, and grimaced slightly, then closed her eyes and smiled. “I think it’s going to be OK.”

King sat back down at his laptop and looked at the screen. Raquel slowly ate the omelet. Outside, a black vulture soared over the ridge.”